Pliers device



March 8, 1966 A. R. BONE 3,238,906

PLIERS DEVICE Filed Jan. 51, 1964 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,238,906 PLIERS DEVICE Arnold R. Bone, Needham, Mass., assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, Framingham, Mass., a corporation of Nevada Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,532 2 Claims. (Cl. 112-169) This invention involves a pliers-like device for attaching a strand such as a loop of string to a web of material.

For example, there is need of a hand operated device for attaching a tag to a pair of shoes by threading a loop of string, which is attached to the tag, through the shoes. Prior hand stitching tools which require the threading of a needle are too slow in operation to meet the need.

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, easily manipulated tool which quickly attaches a strand loop to a web of material such as leather.

According to the invention a pliers device for threading a strand loop through a web comprises an outer jaw, a needle jaw and an inermediate jaw, means pivotally connecting said jaws, spring means yieldingly urging said intermediate jaw away from said needle jaw whereby when said needle jaw is moved toward said outer jaw a web of material may be yieldingly gripped between the intermediate and outer jaw, a needle on said needle jaw adapted to move with the needle jaw to an advanced position through said web and outer jaw, said needle having on one side adjacent its end a hook opening outwardly of the jaws and adapted to engage a loop when in advanced position, said intermediate jaw having an abutment facing said one side of the needle, and stop means on said needle jaw for engaging the intermediate jaw to position said abutment at the end of the needle beyond said hook so as to hold said loop in said hook while said needle is retracting through said web from advanced position, said loop thereafter being released from the hook by again moving the needle to advanced position.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of loop threading pliers;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the pliers;

'FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary side sectional views showing the pliers in two operative positions;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side section showing a detail of the pliers in another operative position; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view showing a tag attached to a web by a strand loop.

As shown in the figures the pliers comprise conventional handles 1 and 2 which are integral respectively with an outer jaw 3 and a needle jaw 4. The respective handles and jaws are pivotally connected by a pin 6. A main spring 7 normally holds the jaws 3 and 4 in the retracted position shown in FIG. 1, the spacing of the jaws being limited by engagement of the jaw 4 against a pin 8. A third jaw 9 intermediate the outer jaw 3 and inner jaw 4 is pivoted on the same pin 6. The intermediate jaw 9 is yieldingly urged toward the outer jaw 3 by a spring 11 which reacts more strongly against the handle than the main spring 7. Engagement of a shoulder 12 on the intermediate jaw 9 and a stop pin 13 on the needle jaw 4 limits the maximum spacing between the needle jaw and the intermediate jaw as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Secured in the needle jaw by a set screw 14 is a needle 16 having just short of its outer end and at its outer side a hook 17 which opens outwardly of the jaws. The end of the needle 16 is normally positioned by the stop pin 13 in an opening 18 in the intermediate jaw 9. In this position an abutment 19 forming part of the opening 3,238,906 Patented Mar. 8, 1966 18 faces the outer, hook side of the needle just above the hook.

When the handles '1 and 2 are closed, the needle jaw 4, needle 16 and intermediate jaw 9 are moved toward the outer jaw 3 to the position shown in FIG. 3 in which a web W is gripped between the intermediate jaw 9 and the outer jaw 3. Thereafter, as the handles 1 and 2 are further closed, the spring 11 yields and allows the needle jaw 4 to drive the needle 16 through the web W and thence between bifucations 21 at the end of the outer jaw 3 until the needle reaches an advanced position outside the outer jaw 3 limited by the pin 8 (FIG. 4).

In this advanced position the hook 17 is exposed so that a loop L of string or the like can be engaged in it, as shown in FIG. 4. Then, as the handles 1 and 2 are released, the main spring 7 causes the needle to retract to the position shown in FIG. 3. At this point of movement the shoulder 12 on the intermediate jaw 9 is engaged by the stop pin 13 on the needle jaw, preventing the needle from retracting further relatively to the intermediate jaw.

Engagement of the shoulder 12 and stop pin 13 thus so positions the abutment 19 relative to the hook 17 as to insure that the loop L remains engaged in the hook 17 as the loop is drawn through the web W. This engagement of the loop in the hook is maintained as the intermediate and needle jaw are fully retracted to the position of FIG. 1 nothwithstanding that the web W is then released from the grip of the intermediate and outer jaws.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the abutment 19 can hold the 'loop L in the hook 17 as the web W is withdrawn from the jaws even though the web is drawn away in the direction in which the hook opens.

In operation the web is withdrawn so as to draw a desired length of the loop through the web. Then, with the web out of the jaws, the handles 1 and 2 are again closed to bring the needle to the advanced position shown in FIG. 4. This releases the loop from the hook. If the loop is connected to a tag T as shown in FIG. 6, the loop can be passed over the tag thereby securing it to the web W It should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pliers device for threading a strand loop through a web of material, comprising an outer jaw, a needle jaw and an intermediate jaw, means pivotally connecting said jaws, spring means yieldingly urging said intermediate jaw away from said needle jaw whereby when said needle jaw is moved toward said outer jaw a web of material may be yieldingly gripped between the intermediate and outer jaw, a needle on said needle jaw adapted to move with the needle jaw to an advanced position through said web and outer jaw, said needle having on one side adjacent its end a hook opening outwardly of the jaws and adapted to engage a loop when in advanced position, said intermediate jaw having an abutment facing said one side of the needle, and stop means on said needle jaw for engaging the intermediate jaw to position said abutment at the end of the needle beyond said hook, said stop means and abutment being so spaced with respect to each other that the needle is restrained from moving substantially beyond the needle jaw side of said inter-mediate jaw so as to hold said loop in said hook after said needle is retracted through said web from advanced position, said loop thereafter being released from the hook by again moving the needle to advanced position.

2. A pliers device for threading a loop through a web of material comprising an outer jaw, a needle jaw and an intermediate jaw, common pivot means connecting the three jaws, a first spring between said outer jaw and needle jaw yieldingly urging said outer and needle jaw toward an open position, a second spring between said intermediate jaw and said needle jaw for yieldingly urging said intermediate jaw toward said outer jaw, whereby a web of material may be yieldingly gripped between said intermediate and outer jaw, a needle on said needle jaw adapted to move with the needle jaw on a path from a retracted position toward and through said web and outer jaw to an advanced position outside said outer jaw, said needle having at its end a hook opening outwardly of the jaws and adapted to engage a loop when said needle is in advanced position, an opening in said intermediate jaw on said needle path, said opening being formed in part by an abutment in said intermediate jaw, stop means on said needle jaw for positioning said intermediate jaw with said opening at the end of said needle beyond said hook, said stop means and abutment being so spaced with respect to each other that the need-1e is restrained from moving substantially beyond the needle jaw side of said intermediate jaw when the needle is in retracted position,

said abutment being located above and opposite the hook so as to hold said loop in said hook after said intermediate jaw is moved to retracted position and said loop is drawn through said web, said loop being released from said hook by again moving said needle to advanced position beyond said intermediate and outer jaw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 14,923 7/1920 Smith ll2169 X 154,302 8/1874 Alstine 112-169 2,685,265 8/1954 Spahr 112-169 2,729,177 1/1956 Flood 112104 2,814,301 11/1957 Schmitz ll279.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,164,030 5/1958 France.

320,651 4/ 1957 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PILERS DEVICE FOR THREADING A STRAND LOOP THROUGH A WEB OF MATERIAL, COMPRISING AN OUTER JAW, A NEEDLE JAW AND AN INTEMEDIATE JAW, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID JAWS, SPRING MEANS YIELDINGLY URGING SAID INTERMEDIATE JAW AWAY FROM SAID NEEDLE JAW WHEREBY WHEN SAID NEEDLE JAW IS MOVED TOWARD SAID OUTER JAW AN WEB OF MATERIAL MAY BE YIELDINGLY GRIPPED BETWEEN THE INTERMEDIATE AND OUTER JAW, A NEEDLE ON SAID NEEDLE JAW ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID WEB AND OUTER JAW, ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID WEB AND OUTER JAW TO AN ADVANCED POSITION THROUGH ADJACENT ITS END A HOOK OPENING OUTWARDLY OF THE JAWS AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A LOOP WHEN IN ADVANCED POSITION, SAID INTERMEDIATE JAW HAVING AN ABUTMENT FACING SAID ONE SIDE OF THE NEEDLE, AND STOP MEANS ON SAID NEEDLE JAW FOR ENGAGING THE INTERMEDIATE JAW TO POSITION, SAID ABUTMENT AN THE ENDS OF THE NEEDLE BEYOND SAID HOOK, SAID STOP MEANS AND ABUTMENT BEING SO SPACED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER THAT THE NEEDLE IS RESTRAINED FROM MOVING SUBSTANTIALLY BEYOND THE NEEDLE JAW SIDE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE JAW SO AS TO HOLD SAID LOOP JAW SIDE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE JAW RETRACTED THROUGH SAID WEB FROM ADVANCED POSITION, SAID LOOP THEREAFTER BEING RELEASED FROM THE HOOK BY AGAIN MOVING THE NEEDLE TO ADVANCED POSITION. 